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How-To Geek

Your keyboard is one of your most important peripherals, but it’s bound to get clogged with dirt and grime over time. Dust off, scrub down, and clean up your number one input device safely with these tips.

There are plenty of ways to clean depending on what afflicts your workspace. We’ll break it down by type, but first thing’s first: unplug your keyboard! Some of these cleaning methods can theoretically do some damage to your keyboard if there’s power going to it, so be sure it’s unplugged and the batteries are taken out.

For more caked on dust, try the brush/hose attachment of a larger vacuum cleaner to help scrape off dust bunnies.

Germs

Daily use can breed a whole different kind of filth on your precious keys. Be wary of disinfectant sprays; many are strong enough that you wouldn’t want to keep your hands in contact with them for very long. Try to find ones that are electronics-friendly. Personally, my favorite option is to use an isopropyl alcohol solution.

Be sure to use isopropyl and NOT ethyl, as the harsher ethyl alcohol can take the lettering off of the keys. Anything about 60% alcohol or more is fine; higher concentrations don’t really help kill more germs, but it also won’t hurt.

Take a little alcohol solution and moisten an old rag or a paper towel with it. Do NOT pour it into the keyboard. Trust me, a wet napkin is enough. Scrub it over the tops of the keys, and use a wet cotton swab to go down in between them.

Spills

What’s worse than accidentally turning on Sticky Keys? Spilling your soda and getting real sticky keys. First thing’s first, unplug your keyboard. Dump out any excess liquid and mop up as best you can with paper towels. While it’s best to clean while the keyboard is still wet to minimize the stickiness, the process is much the same whether you spilled your soda 30 seconds ago or 30 days ago.

To get rid of sticky keys, we’ll need to pop off the keys and clean the keyboard more thoroughly. If you have a standard keyboard, you’ll be able to find references to where all the keys should go if you don’t already have the layout memorized. For custom keyboard, it might be helpful to draw a quick map or take a picture with your digital camera so you know where everything belongs when you go to put things back together.

For desktop keyboards, take a butter knife or a screwdriver and try to pry up one corner of the keys. You don’t need to use a lot of force; you should feel a pop and the key will come right off.

For laptop keyboards, your fingernail should be enough to pull the plastic up. Start with one corner and move to an adjacent one. Be extra careful, since the mechanism is made of plastic and you don’t want to break it.

Once the keys are off, you can better use a paper towel and maybe some alcohol solution to clean the keyboard base. Careful with those metal bars!

To clean the keys you can wash them in warm water and/or use some cotton swabs. To put the keys back on, just place them over their correct position and press them until you hear a snap. They shouldn’t feel mushy or sticky anymore, and if they do it’s probably because they either didn’t set properly in the base or it’s in the wrong place. With keys that have metal bars, make sure the bars are properly attached to the keys and that the ends line up in the slots on the keyboard (compare the above and below images).

Chiclet-style keyboards are great because they prevent a lot of dirt from getting underneath, but unfortunately I’ve still not found a good way to clean them of sticky spills. If you know of a good way, share it in the comments!

Food Particles and Grime

Geeks’ diets aren’t always the best. Aside from spilled soda, you may find potato chip grease, Cheeto crumbs, or popcorn pieces stuck under the keys, making them feel mushy while typing. As with liquid cleanup, pop off the keys as best you can. Take a vacuum, then a can of compressed air to really flush out everything underneath.

If you’ve tried everything to cut the dirt and grease, then I’ve got one last method for you. Take a soft-bristled toothbrush that’s wet with a bit of alcohol to your keyboard. You can clean the removed keys with a toothbrush and some soapy water. Your keys will be looking brand-new in no time!

A dirty keyboard hinders typing, is riddled with disease-inducing germs, and just doesn’t go well with the decor. Show your keyboard some love by cleaning it. These methods also work well with all different kinds of mice, especially he alcohol and cotton swabs. Have a better way to do it? Share in the comments!

My cleaning method is not as surgical as yours. Usualy i’m disassembling the whole Keyboard as far as its possible. Then i put everything except the Electronics in my Shower. With a lot of Water and a bit of Soap everything becomes pretty clean and shiny again :)

But some Keys especially the bigger ones with metal bars have a little bit grease on it. To get it working smooth you need to add grease on the right places after cleaning your Keyboard.

My office has some users whose keyboards could rival the worst of those displayed. One user in particular comes to mind; he eats three bags of microwave popcorn daily and there’s always butter splatters on the keys, not to mention bits of kernel, fluff, etc all in between.

I’ve even written up a quick document with instructions on how to clean them (pop off keys, put in dishwasher on warm, let air dry outside on a towel) for my users when they ask, because I sure am not doing it.

Yep, I’m in the mesh bag full of keys in the dishwasher camp. you can also put the top an bottom plastic parts in the dishwasher as well. Depending on the mechanics of your keyboard some silicone grease around the keys when they go back in may be needed to avoid squeaky keys.

1 – photocopy the keyboard (for key layout)
2 – pop all the keys off
3 – clean the keys in soapy water
4 – clean the keyboard of all the hair, dust and ‘other’ bits
5 – put the keys back on using your photocopy for reference.

This job is at least 2 hours of my very valuable time. After wasting an hour or so you’ll probably break something made of plastic and have to discard the keyboard anyway. Keyboards are so cheap that I’d replace it without giving it a second thought. If you’re that much of a slob, invest in one of those plastic covers which makes the keyboard spillproof and keeps the crumbs out for good. Just a wipe and you’re done.

Thats the reason to get a keyboard like this one http://www.artlebedev.ru/everything/optimus-tactus/
I hope in the future all of us will be able to eat as much as we want right at our workplace without this boring keyboard cleaning… Wanna future to come faster. Bon appetit btw)))

We live in a ‘throw away age’. Use it, then chuck it. Why bother cleaning a keyboard? There is a plastic fold-able keyboard available that you can wash, scrub, and brush to your hearts content if you want to do the cleaning thing otherwise get a new one. Long live BIC.

I just screw off the top of my keyboard (the one that holds the key’s -duh-) and put it in the dishwasher.
Yes you heard me, the DISHWASHER!
No fiddling around with alcohol or having to replace all the keys or anything. It’s perfectly safe since all the electronics are in the base.

Hi, These are all good tips. I would like to add one that I’ve found that works well. I use rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) full strength (usually 60%) in a bowl, dip a 4″ synthetic house paint brush in the alcohol and shake a bit, apply to the keys in both directions. Repeat until the keys are clean. I often use a dry brush to remove dust and crumbs.

Great tutorial! Cleaning and fixing up your own keyboard and other household appliances and electronics can make them look and work like new again. Although DIY cleaning and fixing not always the most enjoyable experience it is much better for your pocket book and the environment. Not to mention it can be really easy! Check out some of these DIY home repair videos to see how easy it really can be! http://www.youtube.com/user/partselect?feature=mhee

Yeah why the hell should I do that when a keyboard is less than 20 bucks?Actually 5 bucks at Biglots. IF i owned a 50 dollar plus keyboard I would just… not eat on it. Also I have a roll up silicon keyboard anyone remember those? If you gotta eat while on the PC grab one of those. Heres a pic:http://www.techpin.com/wp-content/wireless-silicone-keyboard-2.JPG

Keyboards are cheap (read consumable) – I bought four of my favourite, the Dell multimedia for 5 bucks each almost two years ago. I turn it upside down every week or so and knock the crud out, and throw it in the dishwasher every few weeks. It’s been 2 years now and I still have two new ones left. The one fail was cord damage in a careless system move!

Honestly, just buy a thing of Clorox wipes and start going at the keys. It’ll take you about 5 minutes even if you’re especially particular since those things get basically all the dirt/grime off in a few swipes. I’ve only done it on my Mac keyboard so I can’t say for other kinds that may have more exposed crevices to clean, but as far as surface cleaning goes that’s the quickest and easiest way I can think of.

I second all the other comments – those are some gross keyboards you have there sonny!

Great article though :) yes, keyboards are generally cheap, but I don’t see why I should shell out 20 dollars for a new one when it’s so easy to clean up the one I have. My keyboard dates back to when Media Keyboards with USB ports were new and hip ;)

If it were that keyboard no way would I even bother cleaning it, it’s tainted for sure.. That’s why I say invest in a really nice keyboard if you can afford one, then it’s worth the time to clean it. I have had issues in the past with removing keys, they ended up feeling the same after.

You should put a warning up for disgusting pictures, I would have rather seen a horse banging a woman then seeing that 3rd to last picture.

Eeeww!!! That’s just gross! I don’t know how anyone could let their keyboard keys turn brown and not like anything about it!! I use this jelly-goo stuff called “Cyber Clean” it’s got an alcohol in it so it kills germs and also gets in between keys. Works really well!!

Sorry – this is a query not related to sprucing the key board (which is really great). Could I ask computer related queries via this submission portal? I’m a novice and find that even the “Dummies” series is way too advanced for me. I’m the type that requires a diagram to show how to switch on the computer.

My query for today is how to key in symbols 11 upwards using Word 2007. There are two sets of symbols ( from 1 – 10 ) but I have more than 10 points to make in my document.

I’ve always just bought a new keyboard every year or so.. I usually just get a $10-$20 Logitech keyboard at Newegg, and it holds up great for that long. I abuse the hell out of my keyboards, so I’ve never expected them to last much longer.

My new keyboard that’s coming in the mail on Thursday just cost me a lot more than that. I guess I’d better pay attention and learn to keep it clean from now on.

This article is very timely. Just today, I spilled some grapefruit juice on my keys. Yuck, some are a bit sticky. I’m hesitant to take the keys off, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to replace them so that they would fit properly. I’m just happy they are still working. I have a Dell Inspiron laptop? Has anyone else had experience cleaning keys on this model? Unbelievable the crap that can get on and under the keys. I’m as guilty as the next person when it comes to eating over my computer. Alcohol is probably the best cleaner, since it evaporates.

I tend to get the keys of my Apple aluminum keybiards pretty grungy (my office is in a BMW shop…) so to preserve their integrity I simply keep a roll of ClingWrap handy, and every few weeks as I wear through the covering, I rip it off, re-wrap it with new, and voila! haven’t had to do any key-scrubbing for a coupla years now. Cheap, effective, and quick. Even works on my iBook.

As others have mentioned, I’m a big fan of the dishwasher method. I don’t remove the keys. I take the whole keyboard and put it in the top rack with a less detergent than usual and run it with no heat dry.

Sometimes I then adjust and run it again. Then let it dry for a few days. Has always worked well, though I wait a good long time between doing this. Remember to have a spare keyboard ahead of time. Even using a hair dryer to dry it quicker, you can use that thing for a couple days at least.

If you can live 3 days whitout a keyboard. The best solution it’s disassemble, please remember how you do it and, stick on the dishwasher alone, e let it in the sun for 3 days with the parts loose. I done that with mine form time to time.

well, with my old keyboard (Microsoft Natural or something like that), I’d just unscrew the screws from the back, pop it open, take all the electronic stuff out, and put the keys, and everything else in a bowl with some warm water an soap.

Then I let it dry thoroughly, reassemble… and voilà – it has that “just out of the box” look :-)

I can’t use a black keyboard. White keyboards are getting hard to find. I can see black on cream but white on black is more difficult SO, I need to clean my keyboard or look for one in Staples or other office retailer. My granddaughter has caused a couple nightmares and my cats like 2 visit my desk. Thanks for the tutorial. Taking a picture of the keyboard was very helpful and so was the alcohol description.

Barf…barf…gag! Whose keyboard is that? Is that…yours? I actually do know people whose keyboards are close to those that you have shown. Scary! I am Microsoft certified, so another great tip is for those who house calls is to bring some isopropyl alcohol “wipes” with you. You will be glad you did. Oh man, I am going to have nightmares over those pics. I’m going to have these mental pics haunting me. Thanks so much… for the ‘great’ graphic illustration. And I agree with others who posted that you needed to add, “Warning! Viewer Discrection is Advised.” Hahahaha

I have to say: I’m glad I’m not the “throw-away” type of person. It’s sad that people are willing to spend money buying a new keyboard and contribute to landfills instead of spending an hour or less cleaning what they already have.

When I buy things, I make sure to buy quality products. Price is a concern of mine, but value is a bigger one. Most of the time, this takes the items I buy out of the “throw away” range. My current keyboard was $100. Not “expensive,” but not cheap either. I like it, so will be disassembling it to clean it. Saving money, not contributing more trash that will sit for decades, and only having to spend an hour of my time…

The picture with the keys off is disgusting. I’m glad mine isn’t THAT bad ;)

Holy cow!! Where’d you find those keyboards? LOL! One word of caution: Be careful vacuuming a keyboard. I was cleaning my laptop and got too close – sucked a key right off the board! I have a cental vac in my home – took me quite a while to find that little key. Use something less potent on yours unless you enjoy digging around in a bag of nasties!!

I have a Dell laptop that I accidentally spilled some soup on. I tried removing some of the keys but they have this lever system under the keys that makes it almost impossible to get the keys snapped back on. I ended up having to buy a new keyboard from Dell. Now I eat my soup off to the side of the keyboard and make sure anything liquid is well away. ;-)

Oh, on the subject of laptops….mine was heating up more and more over time so I checked with the techies at my local computer store and they told me the air vent for the heatsink could be plugged with dust, hair etc. They also said the heat conductive paste used between the CPU and the heatsink could have got dried out and needed cleaned up and replaced. They were right on both counts. I got a copy of the procedure of ripping apart the laptop and cleaned everything up, cleaned and replaced the paste between the CPU and the heatsink and I now have a cool running laptop again!!

One of my customers has 4 laptops (don’t ask – I haven’t found out why he needs so many) – all are disgusting as I think he uses them instead of plates when he’s eating. They’re covered in tea, coffee, crumbs, pepper, … I usually help him using remote access, but if I have to deal with them at the workshop I put on latex gloves or plug in a nice clean USB keyboard. Lovely. :-)

Honestly the dishwasher and or a nice warm/hot shower will almost always do the trick. I have a Fancy G-15 and I have taken it in the shower after a few gaming sessions where drinks get spilled on it(Bawls is the worst and hardest to clean). Give it 2-3 days and good as new.

Everyone has there own method and they are happy to do it, mine is as follows:
Method 1. If you live in the warmer climes and have a swimming pool just dangle your keyboard in it for a couple of mins and hey presto it’s clean, good o’l chlorine will clean it every time then hang up to dry, or use a hair dryer.
Method 2. in the sink with washing up liquid, warm water and a sponge and hey presto clean, hang up to dry or use a hair dryer.
Cost : very little, Time : very little. Result no broken keyboard
This will work with both desktop and laptop Keyboards, Word of warning tho. Please disconnect both from computers, I presume we all know this. Chris

I put my keyboard in dishwasher- by itself with keys down on top shelf. Make sure cord is secured so it doesn’t dangle. no soap- turn off heat drying cycle. Let dry thoroughly. always keep at least one spare keyboard- cheap is good- to use while other drying.

New keyboards with deep keys are becoming few and far between. Virtually all OEM keyboard w/towers are becoming like chiclets. For us older folks used to a good keyboard, maintenance is the only way to preserve a good keyboard.
And a pox to those manufacturers (HP & Dell) that have used keyboards that have easily worn letters. I can’t believe how they can get away with such lousy inking of the letters on their keys, such that my Sister, a CPA wore her Dell OEM board out with many missing letters: I replaced it with an older Dell board that is a good typer, and keeps it’s letters!

I’ve rescued several remotes and a cell phone that were dropped into liquid (3 year old and a toilet – not mine) and two keyboards, one drenched in soda and the other with coffee. For each the unit was unplugged and batteries removed immediately. Then they were soaked, immersed and rinsed thoroughly in distilled water. Finally left to dry in a controlled, 130 degree farenheit, environment (food dryer or oven-careful!) for 2 days. Best advice: never have beverages above the keyboard and keep the kiddies away. :)

Here are my tips:
First, get a proper key puller. It would save a whole lot of time and is easier on your keys and your fingers than a knife.

If you unscrew the keyboard to remove the top, you will gain better access to the stabilizer bars.

Throw the keys into a bowl together with four-five denture cleaning tablets, cover them with hot water and let soak — this will save a whole lot of manual work. The dirt should come right off. There is often no need to brush them, unless they have got pen/pencil marks on them. Rinse in a sieve and let dry for a few days.

Most of the work is done by the vacuum cleaner, though.

I would advice against rinsing or washing, especially in the dishwasher. Some keyboards may be sealed enough, but some may have gaps in them where water can leak into the more sensitive components.
There are salts in machine dishwashing fluid. Saltwater = electrolyte. Electrolyte conducts current. Any left on the circuit board inside the keyboard when you *connect* it and it may fry. (the ports are powered even when the computer is “switched off”) The circuits on a plastic membrane are often quite brittle.

For laptop keyboards: use Cyber Clean. It is a gelatinous sticky blob that captures dirt.

I’m a telephone engineer and clean a lot of desktop handsets and keyboards with an aerosol can of foam whiteboard cleaner and a clean 2″ paint brush. Then dry down with soft cotton cloth or good quality kitchen roll. Saves a lot of time disassembling things and they look like new when done. The foam cleaner is electrically inert so will not do any damage once dried. And it’s cheap!

I’ve found that, short of using my Leatherman’s plier tool to pull off desktop keyboard keys to get the really disgusting bits as shown in image “Food Particles and Grime”, using a simple Post-It/sticky note works great to pull up hair, small particles, paper bits. Here’s the trick: take the sticky side of the Post-It and place it in the bottom of the keyboard and drag along, left-to-right. Repeat for each row. Then take another and go up and down between keys. If you’re lucky, or can have work by a decent sized portable, electric air compressor, then blow out between each row, left-right and up-down.
Tell your co-workers to not eat their chips and sandwiches OVER their keyboards and to wash their hands when they are done eating greasy and/or sticky foods. This is from many years of experience working as a computer tech at a high school – I’ve seen some disgusting stuff come off keyboards and mice.

I quit taking all keys off and washing them and cleaning the keyboard bases for current employees. If they want to be a slob, live with it. I have learned they don’t change their behavior and they are filthy again within a few weeks. Some times I will wipe the keyboard surfaces with rubbing alcohol and cloth or use a toothbrush dipped in alcohol over the top and then wipe with paper towel. I do have to take apart the filthy ones when these employees leave to prepare for the new employee.

I have an X6 because I’m not cheap and actually care about the way my desk looks.
This thing is a bit of a bitch to clean but it’s easier than cleaning a laptop.
If anyone is actually considering cleaning a laptop’s keyboard then you probably want to go on eBay, look for the appropriate keyboard replacement and then jump over to google and look for a tutorial on replacing it.
You’ll be doing it anyway because those bloody plastic things are the most frustrating and fragile pieces of shit you’ll ever come across.

As for the pictures.. They weren’t that bad. I’m a girl so you lot need to harden up.

I’m tech support for a school. Once a teacher dropped chocolate milk into her laptop keyboard (student startled her!). Laid a bunch of paper towels on the board to soak up the excess, and then removed the keyboard. Ran the keyboard under running water for several minutes to flush out the milk and dried it under a desk fan for 2 days. Reinstalled it and it was as good as new!

For those wanting to clean a laptop keyboard – by far the easiest is to remove the keyboard (each model is different – google to find instructions for yours) then run lots of warm water over it, use an old toothbrush or other brush for gentle scrubbing, shake it off, gently towel dry, then let it air dry for a day – you can hasten the drying with gentle use of a blow dryer on low, and/or hang it up somehow (with a bungee cord by a door knob for example) in front of a fan for 3-4 hours. Best to err on the too much drying time side than not enough.

I did this with my old Inspiron 5150 keyboard – I thought I was going to have to replace the keyboard so i thought what the heck, if I ruin it, I’ll just replace it. I found instruction on the internet, tried it, and it works great.

Nice post I deal with this everyday as help desk support. Just disgusting I must wash my hands a dozen times a day at work. AND WINTER every opt. One user I went desk and I swear critters where in there.

i used this site to disassemble my Microsoft Natural Ergo Keyboard 4000 after I’d spilled my coffee all over it. I then put all the plastic/rubber bits without any electrical components attached in the sink and gave them a good wash. this keyboard does a pretty good job of protecting the board from dirt/liquids. put it all back together and it’s beautiful again. like new.

You guys all have way too much time on your hands: just put the keyboard in the top shelf of the dishwasher, and wash it using regular dishwasher soap. Then take it out and dry it thoroughly on the baseboard heater.
Been doing it this way for years.
Don’t do this with your laptop keyboard though…..unless you first separate it from the laptop.

I can appreciate that its much easier to buy a replacement. However, I am not lazy and I’m not a slob. I was downsized 3 years ago no job to be found, so $25 or more is a really big deal to me (unemployment used up). I had to use the onscreen keyboard for awhile.
Finally got a new Logitech Wireless which worked wonderfully.
Unfortunately, as things may go, my glass of chocolate milk got knocked right over on the keboard. The only keys sticking are the number keypad and surrounding keys. I tried taking a key off another keyboard once and could never get it back on so am afraid to try it again. Also would go slightly nuts without keyboard long enough for it to dry. Computers/Internet are my social/learning/tracking world. Not sure what I’ll try but am going to work on it. Perhaps advocates of disposability have disposable income. Good luck and happy keyboarding to all !

For those of us who invest in GOOD peripherals, or have keyboards that are ancient and you can’t get (the IBM M-Series!) you’ll want to maintain them. Stop living in a throwaway society, and try to be a little green about your life.

GEEK TRIVIA

DID YOU KNOW?

Despite the strong association of his name with shortness, Napoleon Bonaparte was actually taller than average. Soldiers who ascended to the officer ranks in that time period tended to be more physically gifted (i.e. taller) than their peers, so at 5’7″ tall, Napoleon was shorter than most of his immediate subordinates. However, among the general population of the time, he would have had no trouble seeing over the crowd.